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Thursday, 3 January 2013

Given that a) a large proportion of the people in Social
Circle Blonde seem to be London media types, and given also that b) most of
London’s media types seem to be giving up booze at the start of this year,
quite how I seem to be the only person in Social Circle Blonde attempting a dry
January, I don’t know. It’s the least satisfying Venn diagram ever.

This year, and despite the enormous lack of enthusiasm from
my boozehound friends, chucking in the drink for a month seems to be an
activity that’s gathering momentum: both Cancer Research and Alcohol Concern
have appropriated the phenomenon as an opportunity for a little extra
fundraising. (Personally I’m not inclined to sponsor other people not to drink,
given that it’s not particularly gruelling (see also: Movember), and that they
could give the cash they save straight to the charity itself, but that’s just
my Grinch-like demeanour clamouring to make itself heard.)

It’s a project I attempted for the first time last year,
when I failed about three weeks in (I accompanied The Writer when he reviewed
Secret Restaurant, and when you’re faced with that much free champagne it
suddenly becomes quite hard to say no). But this year – with one exemption day
planned for a wedding, because if you can’t make a boozy exception for
celebrating two brilliant people being in love, when can you? – I am going to
make another attempt to drink no alcohol in January.

There are plenty of people who sneer at the idea.

“There’s no point in ‘detoxing’ – your liver does that every
day for you,” they say, or “it doesn’t actually do you any good – you’re better
off having several booze-free days a week” or, perhaps the most prevalent,
“God, how boring.”

Having a vague notion of how the human body works, as well
as the ability to read the plethora of advice about healthy levels of drinking
(even if I choose not to), I’m well aware of the first two, and to the third
I’d say, “charming” and also, “really? Possibly worth having a think about why
you think that”.

I’m not laying off the booze because I’m labouring under an
illusion that a month without it will undo all the hard bad work put in
over Christmas or because I think it will magically restore my liver to its
factory settings.

I’m doing it because cutting down on stuff that’s bad for
us, however delicious, is probably quite a good thing to do. I’m doing it
because it’ll be a challenge, and a bit tricky – and things that are a bit
tricky are often worth doing. I’m doing it because life can sometimes seem a
carousel of instant gratifications, and not always getting what we want the
instant we want it is a useful reminder that whilst self-discipline and
willpower might not be the most fun things in the world, but they’re quite
useful things.

Oh, and there’s also the fact that this Christmas Pa Blonde
wrapped everything under the sun in pastry: now that the holidays are over, there
has to be a deficit in the number of calories consumed and something’s had to
give. Frankly, it’s either the booze or the cheese, and there’s no contest
there.

I'm not having a dry January as I barely drink alcohol anyway, but I am giving up all fizzy pop for 2013 as I keep hearing how awful it is for your body/teeth. Considering I don't drink alcohol, I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to drink when I go to social gatherings from now on.

I did this last January and havent started drinking again - not sure if this is because I drank a lifetimes worth in the previous 38 years or am not so hangover phobic but can honestly say I dont miss it at all :)

My God I couldn't agree with you more on so many points here. Particularly not sponsoring people for laying off the booze for a few weeks. I'd love to give up my nightly glass for a few weeks but its my one indulgence. And I just love it so much......

This seems to be the year for doing it, I've lost count of the amount of Facebook updates about friends attempting it. I myself do not drink alcohol from January until the second week in June, every year. Which started as a dry January in 2010. I find it rather easy being that I allow myself a glass of Champagne on special occasions and thus don't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything. Good luck to you. :-) xx